Our guest book—Monday memories

When we bought our Lakeside cottage in the fall of 1988, my mother bought us a guest book, where visitors could sign. Today I was looking on the bookshelf for something, and found that book.  I had used it until 2008 and then started a new one although there were many pages left.

The first names recorded in the summer of 1989 were our neighbors, Vanita, Margie, Betty and Mrs. Lowe; also friends we knew from Columbus, Rich and Julie Crabbs (now both deceased), Ken and Cean Hollenbaugh,  Rosalee, Ned, Jason and Brian Moore who I think were at the camp grounds, Laura Linquist whom I used to work with at OSUL, Don, Gail and Stacey Bren, and Mike and Linda Evans; also my husband’s parents came that summer from Indianapolis, as did Tom and Pat Moir. My husband’s partners from Feinknopf, Macioce and Schappa, and a group from Cursillo seem to be visiting in the winter.  The next summer I see Roger and Judi Gertz, who had a cottage one block over on Lynn, who now live in Marietta, and just arrived yesterday for a week with kids and grandkids. I see in the book our across the street neighbors Grace and Frank Sheidler (now deceased) visited—their cottage had a tree growing through the porch awning, now removed.  That summer my husband’s sister and husband came.  I think they got a call that baby Caleb (grandson) was ill and they rushed home—or was that the next summer?  He’s now in Afghanistan.  Bill Plate and his wife Kathy came to visit—he was one of my husband’s partners.  Our daughter visited that summer of 1990 (she may have been here before, but didn’t sign the book).  In August of 1991, my parents visited, but I think they were here also in the fall of 1989 to deliver some furniture because I remember watching with them the fall of the Berlin Wall. Marvin and Adrienne Zahniser came in the fall to spend some time, then Riitta and Martti Tulamo.  Bob and Jean were back in the summer of 1992 as were Debbie, Kim and Kari Rosenberg and my in-laws the DeMotts.  Summer of 1993 Paul and Marylyn Doncevic visited as did Nancy and Barb, two sisters we know from our church. In the summer of 1994 Donna and Mike Conrad came for supper (they later bought a cottage, but have since sold it, now live in Florida).  Our daughter and son-in-law and his brother Pete and wife Peg came for a week. The Fall of `1994 there were  a lot of folks we knew from Columbus here so we had a 6th anniversary party—Sowers, Shalters and Gatsches all signed, but I know there were many others—Boiarski, Steele, Conrad, etc.  It was a pretty fall week-end and many were here.

Rich and Julie Crabbs who came for the Methodist conferences signed many times—he was a Methodist pastor, as did some of our other regular Methodist visitors (whom we’ve never met).  Our daughter and son-in-law many times—usually a week every summer after 1993 when they married.  And Holly and Lindsey several times, who were part of the family then, but not now. Miss them both.  And many names I don’t recognize! And just so I wouldn’t forget, I noted in the guest book that the new roof and new heating system/AC were installed in 2002 and a new frig June 2002—seems like yesterday.  It all does.  But it has been 25 years.